Subliminal Recruiting

As I watched the series premier of "Friday Night Lights" (on NBC) earlier tonight, a comment about playing with Mack Brown in Pasadena caught my attention. I froze...did they really just reference playing for the Horn's in the Grandaddy? Ok, ok...they are trying to be realistic and bring the series to the present. A few minutes later, in an audio overlay of a radio show, one of the "callers" mentioned how the current coach at Dillon High was "no Mack Brown." Whwhwhat? Is this show really pimping Mack? Is this advertising in his recruiting budget? And then the holy grail...the coach...Mack himself, appeared in the show. My roommate and I did a double-take before confirming that Mack was indeed ACTING in the episode. To be fair, it is a show about high school football in Texas, and Mack Brown is king of football around those parts these days, so I guess his cameo fits...

After I got over the shock factor I began to imagine what other shows coaches could appear in to "pimp" their programs...

Grey's Anatomy - Larry Coker appears in the background of a shot as a patient (on life support).

Survivor: Cook Islands - John L. Smith cameos as the funny guy that finally got voted off because the game is getting serious.

Deal or No Deal - Karl Dorrell is the contestant's misinformed friend...and keeps telling his friend to take the "Deal" when it is obvious that he should keep playing.

Lost - Dan Hawkins...just because his only possible excuse for the first half of the season is that he is stuck on a deserted island after his plane crash-landed.

Law and Order: SVU - Charlie Weis cameos as a badge-flashing (and FOUR Super Bowl rings...count 'em...One, Two, Three, FOUR) detective, that is still on cloud-nine after his near conviction of America's most wanted criminal.

Desperate Housewives - Pete Carroll...Pete cameos as the new "construction worker" at the house down the block. Strangely enough, Karl Dorrell appears in the episode as well, as a pizza delivery guy (weaing his UCLA gear). But make no mistake about it, Pete is the star of this show.